The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Hurricane Response Team is monitoring offshore oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico after the evacuations of platforms and rigs following the landfall of Hurricane Michael. 59 of the 687 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico have been evacuated.
These 59 production platforms are a 8.6% of the 687 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, personnel have been evacuated from 2 of the 22 rigs currently operating in the Gulf.
Regarding the dynamically positioned rigs that were moved off location due to the storm, these are back on location. Dynamically positioned rigs maintain their location while conducting well operations by using thrusters and propellers, the rigs are not moored to the seafloor.
Based on operator reports, about 40% of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in. Moreover, 29.1% of the natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in.
With the hurricane now on land and no longer a threat, facilities in the Gulf of Mexico will be further inspected. Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back on line immediately.
